A peer-reviewed open-access journal Nature Conservation Land-use6: 31–48 (2013) changes, farm management and the decline of butterflies.... 31 doi: 10.3897/natureconservation.6.5205 APPLIED ECOLOGY http://www.pensoft.net/natureconservation Launched to accelerate biodiversity conservation Land-use changes, farm management and the decline of butterflies associated with semi-natural grasslands in southern Sweden Sven G. Nilsson1, Markus Franzén1,2, Lars B. Pettersson1,3 1 Biodiversity Unit, Department of Biology, Lund University, Ecology Building, SE-223 62 Lund, Sweden 2 UFZ Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Department of Community Ecology, Theodor-Lieser- Straße 4, D-06120 Halle, Germany 3 Swedish Butterfly Monitoring Scheme, Lund University, Ecology Buil- ding, SE-223 62 Lund, Sweden Corresponding author: Lars B. Pettersson (
[email protected]) Academic editor: L. Penev | Received 26 March 2013 | Accepted 30 October 2013 | Published 18 November 2013 Citation: Nilsson SG, Franzén M, Pettersson LB (2013) Land-use changes, farm management and the decline of butterflies associated with semi-natural grasslands in southern Sweden. Nature Conservation 18: 31–48. doi: 10.3897/ natureconservation.6.5205 Abstract Currently, we are experiencing biodiversity loss on different spatial scales. One of the best studied taxo- nomic groups in decline is the butterflies. Here, we review evidence for such declines using five systematic studies from southern Sweden that compare old butterfly surveys with the current situation. Additionally, we provide data on butterfly and burnet moth extinctions in the region’s counties. In some local areas, half of the butterfly fauna has been lost during the last 60–100 years.